Category: New-Posts

Thanks to support from our donors AEFF has been able to continue using the digital editing suite at AEFFs HQ in the Tsavo National Park.

As soon as it has been shot, AEFF footage is logged into the operating computer for editing and a back up copy on an independent hard drive.

Then, using updated specialized logging software, we use a much more detailed process, involving cross-referencing and extreme levels of detail to log all the 750 hours of footage in the AEFF library. Finally the footage is copied using LTO tapes, which have a thirty-year life, as against hard drives that only have a three-year guaranteed life. All this makes the AEFF library (probably one of the most comprehensive environmental/wildlife film and sound libraries on the continent) more accessible to all future generations of AEFF editors, who will be able to draw on this extensive resource when assembling new educational films in the future.

AEFF’s current series of films include a second marine film as a follow up to KURUWITU: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. This new film shows how this first film spawned an extension to the original area and in fact 16 new areas have opted for sound marine management. AEFF can claim to have played an important part in spreading the word along the coastal communities.

In addition AEFF’s film THE ICONS OF TSAVO, is complete. This film has two parts. Part One shows the huge Tsavo elephants, with tusks sweeping the ground, and how dependent they, and the many emerging tuskers, are on the whole elephant society. Part Two shows the life of a bow and arrow poacher and how, when questioned by a young Kenyan, the reality of what he has done over the years is revealed. For him it is too late, the damage has been done, but the young Kenyan now has the responsibility to influence modern Kenyan society in acknowledging the importance of these elephants and the role wildlife has to play in the future.

AEFF’s film The Standard Gauge Railway is in production. AEFF was given permission to film this huge project by the Kenya Railway Corporation This film has a much broader message than just the construction of a railway by emphasizing how development need not damage the environment irrevocably. Industrialization will bring a better standard of living for many Kenyans but, in this modern age, all projects should be carried out with an understanding of how to minimize the impact it inevitably has on the environment. And higher incomes will mean more Kenyans will be able to visit the wildlife areas and appreciate wild animals for what they are.

As 2016 winds to a close, we take a quick moment to look back at AEFF’s recent achievements.

The African Environmental Film Foundation (AEFF) has made great strides over the past few years. AEFF is Africa’s only non-profit dedicated exclusively to providing environmental and conservation education through film and new media, presented in local languages.

We have a fulltime team of just 4 people in Africa, supported by our Board of Directors in the United States.

AEFF’s accomplishments include:

The widening of grass-roots distribution networks for our finished films, on DVDs, which now reach Government Authorities, school children, university students and adults in Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, DR Congo, West Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Cameroon and Uganda.

The indexing of AEFF’s entire film archive, consisting of over 750 hours of footage, which will allow this unique resource to be easily accessible for use in future AEFF educational films.

An additional two new film projects completed and the re-versioning of two older films by AEFF’s Founder, Simon Trevor, who has donated the educational rights to AEFF. Total number of films now at 27

Through donations, AEFF has been able to fund the production of new films and purchase new equipment (cameras, editing computers, software and accessories).

The negotiation of a distribution deal, which will bring AEFF’s films to 45 English speaking TV countries across Africa,

We thank you for your support, which has made all these achievements possible, and we invite you to join us again as we embark on further new educational film and new media projects in 2017.

The Kenyan NGO, Wildlife Direct, in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service, initiated an agreement with Nation TV to screen one hour of wildlife films per week, for free.

It is a condition of the rules governing TV in Kenya that a certain percentage of the films shown should be Kenyan productions. AEFF, as the producer of our films fulfills this condition. There has been a specific demand for AEFF films after early NTV Wild films showed overseas productions.

Geneva/Jackson, WY/New York 25 February 2016 – The Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) teamed up in organizing an International Elephant Film Festival to raise global awareness of the various challenges facing the African and Asian elephants, as a highlight of UN World Wildlife Day on 3 March. The Festival received more than 250 entries into the film competition, which were reviewed by over 75 preliminary judges over six weeks before the short list was passed on to the final judging panel.

Finalist will be honored at a high level event to mark the global celebration of World Wildlife Day at UN Headquarters in New York on 3 March 2016. The Films will be subsequently showcased extensively throughout the world, through local screening events and broadcasts.

The distinguished panel of international judges who will select winners includes:

Inger Anderson, Director General of International Union for Conservation of Nature

Ian Craig, Director of Conservation, Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya

Bingbing Li, Actress, Singer and Conservationist, China

Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa

Catherine Novelli, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, United States

To help change ivory consumer trends around the world, AEFF launched its powerful film, White Gold to five star reviews in New York City. The film was also launched on youku in China, narrated by Jackie Chan in Mandarin, in a bid to encourage the world’s greatest consumers of ivory to reject this non-essential luxury item, which leaves so much carnage in its wake. On youku there have already been 2.77 million full views. To watch: ” Click Here ”

Simon Trevor and Hillary Clinton at premiere of White GoldArne Glimcher and Hillary Clinton at premiere of White Gold